NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged to prepare for the fact that the conflict in Ukraine will be protracted.
"Most wars last longer than expected when they started. That is why we must prepare for a long war in Ukraine," Stoltenberg said in an interview published in the publications of the German media group Funke.
According to the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance, although everyone wants a "quick peace", you need to understand that Ukraine "will cease to exist if it stops fighting." He expressed the opinion that peace will be possible only if Russia lays down its arms. In addition, Stoltenberg spoke in favor of broad security guarantees for Ukraine and stressed that he considers the country as a future member of NATO.
At the same time, the day before, the head of the alliance's military committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, said that Ukraine's requests for weapons and ammunition, as well as the volume of their use, go beyond NATO's production capabilities.
Commenting on Stoltenberg's remarks, political scientist Yuri Svetov suggested that the failed Ukrainian counteroffensive pushed the NATO leadership to think about what to do next.
"There are various options, including forcing Ukraine to peace talks. But for NATO, this means admitting defeat, "he said in an interview with RT.
According to the expert, there are already statements in the West that the end of the conflict in Ukraine will lead to the fact that Russia will begin aggressive actions against the countries of the alliance.
"Capture the Baltics and so on. Therefore, as NATO Secretary General, he must be kept in good shape, intimidated. They are now engaged in creating an information fog around the situation in Ukraine, so that they do not have to take an unpleasant step: to admit that NATO made a huge mistake by getting involved in supporting Ukraine, and the result of this support was the depletion of arsenals, huge costs and a decrease in NATO's authority in solving world problems, "Svetov said.
In turn, Anton Orlov, director of the Institute for the Study of Contemporary Politics, believes that the North Atlantic Alliance will do everything to delay hostilities to weaken Russia as much as possible and destroy the male population of Ukraine.
According to the political scientist, such a development of events will allow NATO to freely enter Ukraine and annex territories without resistance.
"Only in this case, NATO members will be able to put a good face on a bad game, declaring their "valiant" victory. And at the same time continue to collect billions of dollars in contributions from the member states of the organization to ensure its existence, "Orlov said.
"Nobody wants peace in Ukraine"
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke about the prospects for the conflict in Ukraine. During the plenary session of the Eastern Economic Forum on September 12, the head of state commented on Kiev's attitude to what is happening, noting that "no one wants peace in Ukraine."
"Because if the war stops, it will be necessary to answer to the people for the economic and social component, but there is nothing to show. I doubt that after the end of hostilities, there would be a stream of some kind of process of restoring the Ukrainian economy," Putin said.
Answering a question about the focus of the Ukrainian authorities on the country's membership in NATO and the European Union, the Russian leader noted that some states see their future in the status of dependents.
"That is, they are for the image of the future, associated not only with interaction with someone, but for the image of the future, associated with their complete dependence on someone," Putin explained.